Betty Thompson was a Canadian television presenter who spent most of her career at CKCO-TV

CKCO-TV

CKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...

 in Kitchener, Ontario

Kitchener, Ontario

The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

. She was seen throughout Canada as host of CTV

CTV television network

CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

's version of Romper Room

Romper Room

Romper Room is a children's television series that ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Australia, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom...

, a children's programme produced at CKCO's studios.

She was born in Walkerton, Ontario

Walkerton, Ontario

Walkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County...

, raised in Peterborough, Ontario and studied broadcasting at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute

Ryerson University

Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...

. She was married twice and had three daughters, Susan, Patricia and Judith.

The annual Betty Thompson Golf Classic began in 1992 as a financial support for breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

education and research. She would die from this disease in 1994, four years after diagnosis. During her lifetime, Thompson would contribute to many charitable and community causes, particularly in Kitchener and its region.

CKCO career

• 1956: begins her career with the station, following graduation from Ryerson
• 1972-1975: becomes host of Romper Room as "Miss Betty" (CTV network)
• Ladies First
• The Flower Spot
• Be My Guest
• Tempo Ontario
• Betty and Friends
• 1992: became the station's community relations co-ordinator

Awards and recognition

• --: Kitchener Mayor's Dinner Honouree
• --: Rotary Club of Kitchener Paul Harris Fellow
• 1992: Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year by the twin-cities' Junior Chamber of Commerce
• 1992: Kitchener-Waterloo Cancer Society's fund raising campaign honorary chair
• 1995: Waterloo County Hall of Fame Inductee
• 2007: Waterloo 150 Project - "Profiles of the Past, Present and Future: Waterloo at 150"

External links

• Region of Waterloo: Betty Thompson profile (accessed 20 June 2006)
• CTV Southwestern Ontario: Community Champions (accessed 20 June 2006)